Monkeydick
Team history Monkeydick was originally a practice group at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. They entered Cagematch (a weekly improv competition) in February 2001 and after winning three weeks were made into a team on Harold Night. The team existed (with many lineup changes) until September 2005. Among their achievements at UCBT-NY were helping pioneer sound and movement openings/transitions, embracing eccentric improvisers, performing a show with one member 12 hours removed from major reconstructive dental surgery and bringing a miniature horse on stage for a fundraiser. They got the name Monkeydick when their coach Billy Merritt forced them to have it. "This is your name until you guys can agree on another one," which they basically never could. Billy got the name from Mitch Magee who had been going through a phase of working it into conversations with little justification. When Curtis Gwinn and Matt DeCoster joined in January 2002, the team re-named itself Call of the Wolf for one show, during which the name was resoundingly and repeatedly booed. Suggestion given for that show: "Monkeydick." The team switched to the name Janice for a few months, which was begrudgingly tolerated, until they gave up and returned to Monkeydick. Monkeydick are fondly remembered for being a lovable band of miscreants who often tormented each other on stage. Andy Rocco in particular was often eviscerated during shows for the crowd's approval. While many teams dressed up for shows or presented themselves as very smooth, Monkeydick often took the stage looking like a group of psychos that recently broke out of an asylum, and also Will Hines. At one memorable Matt Besser workshop, Monkeydick members were asked to describe the games of the first three scenes from their Harold that week, causing a bashful and somewhat ashamed Will Hines to utter the now legendary sentence, "...and then in the third beat, Brian and Gemberling lived in a house that was formerly owned by clowns." Home theatre Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Cast Founding Members: Brian Berrebbi, Pete Bosniak, John Gemberling, Will Hines, Rob Lathan, Mitch Magee. *Sara Jacobs and Jane Borden (and Ed Herro briefly) were added when the team was made an official Harold team. *Matt DeCoster and Curtis Gwinn replaced Jacobs and Borden in December 2001. *Andy Rocco joined in November 2002. *Brett Gelman and Dyna Moe replaced Brian Berrebbi and Mitch Magee in August 2003. Both quit in January 2005, replaced by Neil Casey. After Monkeydick disbanded, Gwinn, Gemberling, Casey and Gelman continued performing as Death by Roo Roo. Shows Monkeydick first appeared as a guest team in the Cage Match on February 1st, 2001. They were still students at the time and this was their first team. However, because of some wonderfully committed and physical shows, they won three weeks straight, beating some of the best Harold teams at that time: Mother, Respecto and Pound.http://www.cage-match.com/index.php?option=scores&season=2000 Soon after they were made into an official Harold team at UCBT. They also performed a weekly monoscene show, Herbie Goes Bananas And So Do We, paired with Respecto Montalban for the hilariously short run of February 2003 through June 2003. They were promoted from Harold Night to a Friday night 11pm show, where ran from October 2004 until September 2005. Directors / coaches Billy Merritt, Jason Mantzoukas, James Eason, Jackie Clarke and others. Links *Monkeydick's mostly-defunct website *Footage of Monkeydick from two weeks before Gwinn and DeCoster were placed on the team Category:Improv Groups Category:New York City Category:UCB-NY Harold Teams